Unexpected Guests - Chapter 2 - Spectacle

There a lot of talking in this one, but I like it! Not only does it help introduce the world to those that don't know DD, but it allowed me to flesh out some of the lore of the world! Win Win!

It only took about half an hour for Oscar and Dorthia to lead us out of the wilderness and out onto a main road. The cobblestone corridor was surprisingly smooth, despite its rough construction, and filled with various wagons and carts. Once we joined the traffic it didn’t take long until I got my first look at the city, and our final destination. 

Even at this distance I could tell the city was massive. Although many of the buildings around the perimeter were made of rough lumber, I could tell they were well maintained and loved, far from a slum or ghetto. The buildings further in were typically painted bright colors, and made of smooth stone. There was a surprising lack of weathering, and almost everything looked fairly new.

“There’s no outer wall,” Dusty muttered. “How do you defend yourself from attacks?”

“Attacked?” Oscar asked, aghast. “Who would want to attack us?”

“I don’t know, another country? Hostile Race? The Antithesis?” Dusty replied, counting the option off on his plush fingers.

“We’re civilized people,” Dorthia exclaimed, “Although there are some inter-racial tensions, wars are a thing of the past. We learned to respect our differences, and live in peace. If anyone wants to work out a grudge, they can do it in the dungeons.”

“Besides, no one’s stupid enough to anger Linivia, or the other Dungeon Masters these days. Not unless they have a deathwish,” Oscar muttered.

“What makes you say that?” Nyx suddenly asked, hijacking Spooky.

“History,” Oscar grunted. “The last time Adrence was invaded was five hundred years ago, when we were invaded by Durance, our former northern neighbor.”

“What happened,” I asked.

“Lanivia happened. The fighting interrupted her studying, so she came out and ‘took care of it’,” Dorthia whispered.

“She took out the invading army, all by herself?” Nyx asked.

“She took out the entire country. When I said former, I meant that literally,” Oscar quietly explained.

“Sooo… don’t piss off the super powerful mage. Got it!” I said.

“And ALL these dungeon masters are this strong?” Nyx asked excitedly.

“Well, not all of them, but all the professional level ones are,” Dorthia explained. “They all have to restrain themselves quite heavily to make the delves more exciting. The amatuer and intermediate league dungeon masters are still strong, just nowhere near as strong as the professionals.”

“Right…” I said, nodding my head. I was trying to absorb all the information I was given, but it was so alien to me that a lot of it was going over my head.

As we slipped into town I couldn’t help but gawk at the spectacle. It was how I would have pictured a traditional fantasy town, just more upbeat and cheerful. In the first five minutes we must have passed close to twenty different races just going about their days. 

The one thing I didn’t expect was the prevalence of crystal technology. These screens were everywhere, being used as communication devices, tablets, televisions and even billboards. One particularly large display in the middle of one of the squares rotated between nine different figures, all dressed in ornate armor, while large white text proclaimed ‘Next match in Three Hours, Seven Minutes. Featuring: Edelweiss Knights’.

“They’re wonderful, aren’t they?” Dorthia declared when she saw me looking. “This is one of the broadcast pavilions that Lanivia sponsors. If you’re here when a match happens, you can watch it for free. Those are the floor bosses, Lanivia’s lieutenants.”

“I don’t get it, if this Lanivia is so strong, and old, why is she running this… sports team thing?” I asked.

“Well, it’s quite lucrative, from what I’ve heard,” Oscar grunted. “The dungeons hold all the broadcast rights to the matches, and make more than enough to support themselves. It also gives people an outlet for their violence in a safe and controlled way.”

Deadbeat pointed at the billboard, which was currently displaying a heavily armored, headless horsemen impaling an archer on his lance. “You call that safe, and controlled?”

“Oh, that may look bad, but the contestants don’t actually fight in the flesh. The dungeons have this technology that lets the participants broadcast, and control, a double with their exact physical attributes within the dungeon. When the double is destroyed it just fades away, and the participant wakes up within their booth,” Dorthia explained.

“And how does that work exactly?” I asked suspiciously.

The couple just shrugged. “Magic,” Oscar declared dismissively.

“Fascinating,” Nyx whispered.

The Krillgans slowly led us through the maze of curving streets, slowly leading us deeper and deeper into the city. When we got to the core the buildings fell away, revealing a large walled estate that stretched as far as the eye could see. Even though it had massive, dark stone walls completely surrounding the compound, I could see greenery peaking over the top. When I backed away from the wall I could just make out a massive gothic manor sitting on a hill right in the middle of the compound. 

“Impressive isn’t it! Imagine, some of the greatest champions of our time are beyond those walls,” Dorthia gushed.

“They built the Dungeon in the middle of the city?” Bandit growled.

“Oh no, the Dungeon was here first, and the city grew around it. Most dungeons are established on ley-line nexuses, which is why they’re able to support the illusion during a match, and maintain all the magical devices around the city,” Dorthia explained.

“If the nodes are that powerful and important, wouldn’t other people attempt to take them for themselves?” Deadbeat asked.

“They did, why do you think the strongest individuals on the planet ended up with them?” Oscar grunted. “It takes the combined might of several militaries to even have a chance to dislodge them.”

As we followed the wall towards the middle of the compound I noticed a marked increase in both the number of displays mounted on the wall, and of street vendors. It didn’t take long for the previously quiet commercial street to turn into a little bit of a carnival.

“Is it always like this?” Bob asked as he bounced between vendors, trying to look at everything at once.

“Of course not, it’s a match day! Everyone’s excited,” Dorthia exclaimed. 

“Wait, won’t that make it difficult for us to get in and see Lanivia?” I asked.

“Well, maybe. The thing is if Lanivia is interested in speaking with you, you’ll be let in immediately. If not, you’ll never see the other side of that wall,” Dorthia said.

“We could climb over the wall!” Bob exclaimed.

“Don’t even joke about that,” Oscar snapped, shushing the oversized bear. “Breaking into the manor is a serious crime around here, no one wants to risk raising the liches’ ire.”

Nyx scuttled up at that. “Lich? As in an undead spellcaster in human folklore?” 

“Nyx, games and fantasy novels don’t count as folklore,” Deadbeat chirped. My AI shushed her and turn to wait for Oscar’s reply.

“That’s right, one of the most powerful undead ever discovered. Rumor is her thirst for knowledge was so deep that her spirit just continued researching  magic after the flesh gave up,” Oscar said.

“Fascinating,” Nyx muttered again.

“I don’t like how you keep saying that,” I murmured. 

When we got around halfway down the wall the road opened up. On one side was a massive gate, which people were giving a wide berth, and on the other was a massive square. 

It looked like a sporting event, with hundreds of people milling around, buying souvenirs and crowding around the massive screens. And that was with two hours left until the show.

“People take these matches seriously, don’t they,” Bandit muttered.

“You should stick around, and watch the match once you’re done, I’m sure you’ll understand!” Dorthia said as she turned away from the square and towards the gate. “That’s the main entrance to the Manor. If you come seriously seeking an audience all you need to do is knock and wait for someone to answer.”

“What about those people that come here on a whim?” Spooky asked, wrenching control of his body back from Nyx.

Oscar shrugged. “There’s a reason why everyone stays off the circle of paving stones in front of the gate, to avoid the blast wave.”

“Great,” I groaned. “Well, I’m probably not getting off this planet without her help, and I can’t imagine the blastwave is as bad as getting hit by a car.”

After psyching myself up for a minute I strode confidently across the circle of bricks and knocked on the massive wrought iron gate. The sound echoed across the plaza, causing nearly everyone to turn and look at me.

I stood there for several long seconds, trying my best to ignore the hundreds of eyes locked on my position. “Awkward,” I whispered, as I turned back to the gate just as it creaked open.

Just beyond the opening there was a man in a fine suit with exaggerated proportions, a tophat, and a white mask with a neutral expression. He bowed deeply and when he came up the mask had changed to a smile. Behind me someone gasped.

“Welcome Ms Claire, my name is Luther. The lady has been expecting you.”